Storyshift Snippets
by Avatarcatz2323
Summary: (Previously titled "Guardian") An ever-expanding collection of Storyshift stories, from oneshots to multi-chapter adventures! Come join the fun, let me know what you think, and feel free to suggest prompts and genres! Rated T just in case for some violence and intensity.
1. Guardian

**Yup, I'm into Undertale now. I'm so in love with the characters and story, so I can't help but write things for/about it.**

 **For those who follow me for _The Greatest Promise,_ don't worry; I will finish it. I just got distracted by Undertale and life, but the plot has long been finished and all that's left is to write it out. It might still be a little while I work on some other projects, but it _will_ be finished! Thanks for your support and patience.**

 **Enjoy, and please leave a review! I love writing these snippets, so I may continue this "story" into a bunch of Storyshift oneshots. Feel free to leave suggestions of what you'd like to see! ^^**

 **(I obviously don't own Undertale; Toby Fox does.)**

* * *

 ** _"Guardian"_**

 **Summary: Chara's been Frisk's guardian and protector since the kid first became the Ambassador for Monsters. The job is relatively easy for Chara, but when her past finally starts to catch up with her, she finds that even she needs protection sometimes.**

 **Genres: Suspense, Friendship**

 **Rated T for intensity**

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Chara watched Frisk from a distance, keeping her eyes on the kid like a hawk. To anyone passing by she looked like someone wasting time on their phone while sitting on the park bench, her green hood up so her face couldn't be seen from the side or back. In reality, the phone wasn't on at all, but Chara occasionally pretended like she was hitting buttons to keep up the illusion that she wasn't on guard. This was far from the first time Chara and Frisk had done things like this and it usually turned out well, but sometimes things went sour. That's why Chara was there, watching for anything potentially dangerous to happen.

Even from this distance, Chara could tell that Frisk was nervous by the way the kid's shoulders were slightly rigid. No one else would likely notice such a small detail, but Chara had come to know Frisk extremely well over the past year, and knew the kid's mannerisms and quirks like the back of her hand.

Despite the obvious warning signs of this group of protesters, Frisk had insisted on hearing them out and offering what she could of her services to them. With her impressive knack for negotiating and turning hostile situations to ones of peace and understanding, Frisk had always made a point since becoming the Ambassador for Monsters to hear everyone's concerns regarding monster and human interactions and do what she could to resolve any issues that came up. Through this process, a lot of grief and violence had been avoided and humans had come to start accepting monsterkind.

That was most of the time, but there were the periodic instances when humans were too hard-headed and obstinate to consider peace. Chara worried now that this was going to be one of those times, and she purposely looked casual and relaxed so no one would guess that she was ready to spring at a moment's notice.

Frisk was standing a few feet away from the group of adults she was talking to, but one of them stepped toward her. Chara read his hostile body language and realized he was raising his voice in anger. Frisk calmly answered him, but he wasn't having any of it. He started toward Frisk and reached to grab her, but Chara wasn't going to let him get the chance.

She summoned her magic and teleported in between Frisk and him. Frisk, used to Chara's magic, gave no reaction to the sudden appearance, but the guy was totally startled and he stumbled backwards, his supposed friends catching him as he almost backed into them.

"What the heck?! How did you—"

"If I were you, I wouldn't lay a hand on the Ambassador of Monsters," Chara warned. Her stance was somewhat relaxed, with her hands on her pant pockets, but her tone was dangerous. She wanted them to know that Frisk wasn't to be messed with.

Though most of the group got the message, a few of them just got angrier. Chara sighed inwardly, not surprised but rather tired of these humans already.

"What's wrong with you, butting into our business like that?!" the guy that had gone towards Frisk retorted, now recovered and standing his full height, which was a bit taller than Chara.

She was unfazed. "I think the better question is what's wrong with you, advancing on a kid like that? Don't you realize that she's just trying to help you?"

As Chara expected, he had no logical answer; he was just taking his anger out on the Ambassador because he thought he could.

"Help us?" he shot back. "The monsters are pests that need to be exterminated. By letting them out she just—"

That struck a nerve. "Pests?" Chara growled, anger boiling in her blood. She fingered her knife in her pocket until she felt Frisk put a hand on her shoulder, willing her to calm down. That brought Chara away from pulling out her knife, but she wasn't about to let this guy go scot-free.

"Sounds to me like you're basing your opinions on what others say," she replied. "Have you ever talked to the monsters yourself?"

His face scrunched in disgust. "Of course not! I don't go within reach of those filthy beasts if I can help it!"

Ah, so that was why Frisk couldn't get through to him. He was just another human dead-set in his ways. It was clear to Chara that this wasn't going anywhere.

"Well, that's too bad." Chara glanced at Frisk and the kid walked to Chara's side, grabbing Chara's offered hand. "The monsters are giving you a chance, so I would suggest you do the same for them. You're not the one who was trapped under a mountain for centuries."

Without waiting for a response, Chara teleported away with Frisk, leaving the guy fuming at the air.

The duo reappeared a fair distance away, and Frisk looked up at Chara gratefully.

"Thank you," the Ambassador said, smiling. "Those guys refused to listen to anything I had to say."

Chara smiled back. "I'm your guardian for a reason. That group isn't worth your time."

Thankfully, though there were a few groups like the one they'd just escaped, there were many more people that supported Frisk and the return of the monsters. In this case, the minority definitely wouldn't win, at least in their attempts to stop monsters from rejoining humans on the Surface. If there was one thing Chara knew about Frisk, it was that she wanted peace between the races and she was determined to make it happen, despite those against her. The past year had had plenty of bumps in the road, but Frisk almost always ended up on top now. The kid had really learned a lot from her time being the Ambassador for Monsters.

"Alright, let's head home, Frisk," Chara suggested, ruffling the kid's hair playfully and grinning at her flustered reaction before walking away.

"Hey!" Frisk swatted at Chara's hand, smiling despite herself as she hurried to catch up. "I have an image to keep up, you know."

Chara chuckled as they walked. "Of course I know. That's why I do it."

Frisk ran ahead. "Try to keep up!" she taunted, getting all determined again.

Chara grinned and chased after her, glad that she'd recovered quickly from the group's hostility towards her and was being herself again.

She was stopped abruptly when someone grabbed her hood, catching her off guard and halting her run. Oh edge now, Chara spun and swung her arm up, hitting the man's arm hard enough to make him let go.

Chara's eyes widened slightly when she realized it was one of the guys from the group.

"What do you want? I'm kind of in a hurry here." She took a step back, not liking how tall he was compared to her and the fact that he seemed to be hiding one of his hands in his pocket.

The look on his face made it obvious that he wasn't here to apologize.

"You're a demon, aren't you?" he spat, his tone laced with malice.

That one word made Chara freeze. She hadn't been called a demon for years, and the name spurred nasty feelings that had been buried for those years. She'd kept her magic secret until just recently, after Frisk had established with many people that humans who used magic were to be treated as equals. There were still many who disagreed with the Ambassador, but few who spoke out or acted in significant ways on it. Evidently, this guy had waited until Frisk was out of range before bringing it up.

"I—"

"Shouldn't a demon like you know its place?" He started advancing towards her, ire filling his gaze. His hand clenched into a fist. A fist, Chara knew, that was intended for her.

No. No, not again. Chara had thought she'd finally gotten away from people like him. How naïve and ignorant was she? Of course she couldn't escape her past. Chara reflexively stepped back, keeping a few feet of distance between her and him. Her breathing quickened as a sickeningly familiar fear rose in her throat and threatened to paralyze her.

"I was shocked when the Ambassador set monsters free from the mountain, but I was somewhat open to it," he continued. Then his expression soured. "But giving demons free reign to do what they want and saying that they're equal with humans? _That_ is going too far."

So far, he wasn't doing anything, but Chara knew it likely wouldn't last. She had to get out of here, before—

He suddenly lunged at her, hand outstretched. She dodged to the side, but his long arm was too close and he seized the front of her white T-shirt, stopping her from teleporting away. He proceeded to grab her with his other hand too and bring her to him, lifting her off the ground so his face was an inch from hers.

Chara wanted so badly to use magic or her knife to get away, but she knew that he would only use that against her and it would hurt both her and Frisk in the long run. No, she couldn't use violence here, and since most people were still against magic users like her, she knew it didn't matter that he was attacking her first. She'd still lose, because almost everyone still saw her as a demon.

"Do you really think that what the Ambassador says about you changes what you are, demon?" he seethed. "Do you think you have any right to tell us what to do?"

Chara struggled in his grasp, pushing away from him so she could breathe properly and beating down her fear to find the courage to speak.

"That's in the past," she told him firmly, meeting his gaze. "I'm not a demon, I'm just a magic user. You're not above me; we're equal now, whether you like it or not."

He narrowed his eyes. "Is that what you really think?"

He shifted his hands so he could hold her up with only one before pulling a pocketknife out from his back pocket in a swift movement, a glint in his eyes that sent shivers down Chara's spine. If this was going where she thought it was, then this guy was crazy and she'd definitely have to force her way out of this, which she knew was playing into his hands. Unfortunately, she was right.

"Don't you remember the penalty a demon pays for stepping out of line?" He raised his arm, the knife held tip-down in his hand and ready to strike down on the teenager.

Chara reached for her own dagger just as Frisk's voice rang out.

"Hey! Put Chara down! She's under my protection!"

Chara could hear the anxiety in Frisk's voice that reflected her own. The man, realizing he'd been spotted, glared at Chara for a moment before unexpectedly dropping her.

Chara reacted quickly and caught herself after initially stumbling. She swiftly backed away from the guy as Frisk ran up next to her, visibly trying to hide her worry.

"Don't expect me to be so nice next time, demon. Luck can only be on your side for so long." He glared at both of them for a moment longer before turning and walking away, folding and pocketing his knife as he went.

Chara took a moment to steady her rapid breathing. That had been close. Too close. People had tried to kill her plenty of times before, but now she couldn't fight back without making life more difficult for herself and her family, especially Frisk. She'd have to think of another way to get radicals like him off her back, or at least find a way to deal with them nonviolently.

"What took you so long?" Chara asked casually, fixing her shirt and jacket to hide the fact that her hands were shaking.

Frisk ducked her head apologetically. "I'm sorry. Some people that were in the group we got away from came and talked to me peacefully. It took me a minute to realize that they were just trying to keep me from checking on you. What happened? Are you hurt?"

Chara sighed. "No, I'm fine. I'm glad you came, or I might've done something that I'd regret." She glanced in the direction the guy had left in, purposely neglecting to mention how he'd been about to stab her. "He caught me by the hood and stopped me from teleporting. He's just a guy who can't get the ideas of the past out of his head."

Frisk looked unsatisfied, but didn't argue. "Hmm... I'll have to figure out what to do about those people. Are you sure you're okay?"

Chara knew she wasn't referring to her physical well-being this time. Truth be told, she was still trembling and she was shaken from the experience. People like that were the main reason why she ran to Mt. Ebott in the first place, and the reminder was far from pleasant.

"I'll be fine," she assured Frisk, giving the kid a smile.

The kid had enough to deal with already; Chara didn't want to give her more issues to deal with. Besides, this was her problem. She'd deal with it.

"How about we take a shortcut home?" Chara offered, holding out a steady hand to the young Ambassador. "We can figure out what to do about those guys later."

Frisk brightened up; she quite enjoyed Chara's magic, and by now she was used to teleporting.

"Sounds good!" Frisk answered, gladly putting her hand in the teenager's.

Chara grinned. Sure, there were those who hated her for what she was, but Frisk was one of the few humans to see her as a person and treat her like one. In a way, they were each other's guardians. Because of Frisk, Chara had hope for a brighter future with humans, monsters, and magic users alike living in harmony, and for that, Chara would forever be grateful to the kid.


	2. Nightmare

**So! I decided a little while ago to turn my oneshot, _Guardian,_ into a collection of short stories like I'd been considering! I've got multiple partially written at this time, but if any of y'all have anything you'd like me to write, let me know! Just please be aware that I _will not_ write anything that's inappropriate, swears, or has a lot of gore in it. **

**Anyways, on with the story! Please enjoy, and review if you can! Getting feedback is a _huge_ motivator. ^^**

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 _ **"**_ _ **Nightmare"**_

 **Summary: Chara has a harrowing nightmare, but she's soon reminded that she doesn't have to deal with them on her own anymore.**

 **Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Family**

 **Rating: T for violence**

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Chara ran. It was all that she could do; she was far too tired to use magic. All that kept her going was the adrenaline pumping through her veins, the pounding feet of her pursuers behind her, screaming and shouting at her, calling her a demon and commanding her to stop running and "embrace her fate." The fate they spoke of was death, of course, and there was no way she was going to listen to them.

Her throat stung with dehydration as she panted, unable to even pause for fear that they would catch her. She knew it would all be over if they did, and she was too determined to let that happen. She couldn't let that happen.

She weaved in between the buildings of the village, trying everything she could to escape the mob. Evidently, it wasn't enough.

"Gotcha!" someone shouted, and a shadow stepped directly in front of her.

She tried to veer to the side, but they somehow anticipated this and the next thing she knew, she was on her back in pain, coughing and gasping for breath to recover from receiving an elbow to the neck.

Still struggling to breathe and fighting exhaustion, she weakly turned to get up, but it was too late. Hands seized her from behind and she was roughly yanked back to her feet, several people gripping her arms and clothes to keep her in place.

She fought and yelled, but she already knew that no one would help her. She was a demon, after all, and she had broken one of the laws set to keep her in place under the humans. She hadn't meant to, but that didn't matter. There was no sense of compassion or mercy when it came to demons.

Malicious frowns and grins alike surrounded her, and there was nothing she could do but plead as the crowd parted slightly for one man to come forward, his eyes full of darkness despite their light color. He held a sword in both hands as he walked up to her, glaring down at her helpless, shaking form.

Chara didn't stop fighting. She was determined to get out of this. She had to, she had to! Panic invaded her mind, making her struggle even harder. She attempted to draw on her magic, but doing so only succeeded in draining her waning energy further.

Their hands were too strong and they held her tight, forcing her to stand exposed and vulnerable. Someone grabbed her hair, jerking her head painfully back so she couldn't move it. She couldn't get away, and the man finally stopped in front of her. She couldn't do anything, couldn't get away, couldn't escape, and she could only look at him partially from how her head was now positioned.

She knew the penalty for her insubordination. It was over. This was the end.

He slowly lifted the sword, holding it ready to slice horizontally across her unprotected throat, and Chara's desperation to escape increased. She wouldn't give up, but she knew there was nothing more she could do.

With a blood-chilling smile, he swiftly beheaded her.

Chara jerked violently awake in her bed, letting out a blood curdling scream. Hyperventilating, she began sobbing and curled into a ball on her right side, rubbing her neck with one hand to make sure it was still attached and unharmed while the other clutched her hair.

It was the fear. She could still feel it paralyzing her SOUL, still feel all the hands holding her in place, still feel the echoes of the sharp steel ripping through her flesh and brutally tearing the life out of her. It wouldn't go away, and panic and darkness threatened to drown her. She couldn't see or hear anything but the invading memory of the nightmare even while staring ahead at the far wall.

Her mind barely registered hearing a small, desperate voice calling her name, but the angry shouting in her head was louder. They wouldn't go away and she couldn't escape the hands that were pulling on her, forcing her to stay in place. It wouldn't stop. It wouldn't stop, and she couldn't get away. She couldn't do anything but cry and plead and struggle in vain to escape the sword that came down on her—

"Chara!"

A small hand touched her trembling shoulder and she reflexively jolted at the touch, trying to get away. The hand remained though and she soon realized that it felt different; it wasn't harsh and painful, but rather it was soothing and kind and familiar.

"Chara, I'm here! It's okay; it was just a dream! You're here, safe, with me!"

Chara finally fought through the nightmare's images clouding her eyes, and she found herself staring at her brother's worried face. It wasn't the malicious faces of the people who tried to kill her; it was the face of the monster who wanted to help her. She was still hyperventilating, but Asriel's careful touch and face full of concern for her helped her to gradually calm down.

"It's okay," Asriel repeated, giving her a comforting smile. "I'm here. It's okay now. You're safe."

Chara stared at him for a moment, tears streaming down her face and soaking her sheets. She could still feel the hands and the pain, but they were weak echoes now. Asriel was here, and he reminded her of everything she had now. He would never hurt her. He would always be there for her. She forced her mind to study the details of his face, replacing the terrifying face of the bloodthirsty man with Asriel's gentle, caring expression. She was still shaking and couldn't get herself to move, even though she desperately wanted to.

"It's okay Chara; I'm here," Asriel reminded, placing his other hand over hers that was still clutching her hair painfully.

His soft, calming touch helped her relax, and he coaxed her to let go of her hair and hold his hand instead. He soon had both of her hands in his, and her breathing began to steady. She refused to look anywhere but at him; she could still feel the echoes and lingering terror waiting to overtake her again the second she looked away.

As soon as she realized she could, Chara flung herself up and engulfed Asriel in a tight embrace, being careful to not hurt him and she clutched the back of his nightshirt. A fresh wave of tears made themselves known as she let out a quiet sob, closing her eyes and focusing on his comforting scent and soft fur. He readily returned the hug and they stayed like that in silence for a full minute, before Chara slowly pulled away and took a deep breath to steady herself.

"Can Mom and Dad and Frisk come in now?" he asked once she'd looked back up at him. His smile helped soothe her further.

Not trusting her voice, Chara nodded. Asriel's smile widened, and he looked over at the bedroom door.

"You guys can come in now!" he announced, and the door opened to let three figures, two large and one small, enter.

Asgore and Toriel carefully rushed to her, their faces riddled with worry.

"My child, are you alright?" Toriel fretted.

Chara nodded again, wiping her tears away with her sleeve. "Thanks to Asriel," she croaked, her voice hoarse from screaming and crying.

Everyone in the room visibly relaxed from hearing her speak, and Chara adjusted to a more comfortable position, still shaking. She wasn't crying anymore and she could finally control her breathing, but the nightmare was still there, threatening to come back as soon as she let her guard down.

"Sorry to worry all of you..." she muttered, suddenly feeling tired now that the adrenaline was wearing off.

"There is no need to apologize, Chara," Asgore gently reprimanded, smiling with understanding as he sat down next to her and placed a supportive hand on her shoulder. "We are your family, and we are here to help you."

"Thank you." Chara gave them a weak smile, noticing that Frisk was staying behind Toriel. "Frisk, why are you hiding?"

"Oh, uh…" Frisk stepped out from behind Toriel, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly. "I wasn't sure, since I'm a human, if, um..."

"My nightmares aren't about you, Frisk," Chara pointed out, though she smiled at Frisk's thoughtfulness. "You don't have to worry about that. You couldn't scare me if you tried."

"Oh, okay." Frisk visibly relaxed.

"My child, are you alright?" Toriel asked, sitting on the other side of Chara and giving her a side hug.

Chara sighed, attempting to force the remaining echoes of the nightmare from her mind as she hugged Toriel back. She could still feel the raw terror clawing at her insides, trying to push its way in and invade her mind—

She shook her head slightly. "I'll be okay. It was just another nightmare."

"The same one?" Asriel inquired.

Chara subconsciously rubbed the front of her neck as she fought back the images. "Sort of… this one was... worse, though."

"Do you wish to talk about it?" Toriel asked gently, pulling away a little from the embrace.

Chara took a deep breath, annoyed as she fought tears back again. "It's just… they killed me this time. It was… scary."

She wrapped her arms around herself with her knees to her chest, looking down at the floor. Toriel lay a comforting hand on Chara's back, the warmth from it soothing the distressed teenager. She sighed and looked at the alarm clock next to her bed, eyes widening in surprise when she saw it was almost three in the morning.

"... I'm sorry for waking you all up, especially so early," she told them.

"Not at all," Asgore dismissed, waving a hand for emphasis. "We are simply glad that we can help you, Chara."

He hugged her from the side and she leaned into it, feeling sleepiness tugging at her consciousness. At the same time, though, she really didn't want to fall asleep to another nightmare. She didn't want to be alone until she could feel safe again.

"Can I… sleep with Asriel tonight?" Chara timidly requested, glancing at the goatbro in question. He looked happy at her inquiry.

"Of course!" Asgore, Toriel, and Asriel all answered in unison, before they looked at each other and everyone laughed.

Chara smiled and hugged her family tight. "Thank you," she whispered.

They all returned the embrace, and Chara was filled with warmth and love. It chased the darkness in her mind away, and she finally felt at peace. She was safe. She wasn't in the past. She had a family that loved her, and she loved them back.

Chara knew that, as long as she had them by her side, she would never be alone again, and that was the greatest comfort she could ever ask for.


	3. I'm Here

**Hey everyone! Sorry it's been so long. My motivation for this has finally returned and I have more written that'll be posted later!**

 **This oneshot is based upon my own personal experiences, which is why I'm a little hesitant to post it, but I put a lot of work and emotion into this so I wanted to just put it out there already. I hope y'all enjoy, and don't worry; there's a hopeful ending after the angst.**

 **Chapter Warnings: depression attacks; alluded self-harm (but nothing is shown)**

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"Rei, even though you know how much of a sugar fan I am, I think that's a few too many sprinkles there," Chara advised, smirking in amusement.

"Ugh, I _know_ that, Chara! It's not my fault the lid came off!" Asriel retorted, gesturing at the now empty sprinkle container in his hand.

It was a mess. A delicious mess, to be sure, and Chara couldn't help chuckling at the pile of multicolored sugar sprinkles all over the table, covering not only some of the cookies, but the counter too. Chara knew Mom wouldn't approve, but she grabbed a handful of the tiny candies and dropped them in her mouth, spilling some over herself as well.

"Chara!" Asriel exclaimed, looking horrified. Chara wondered if she'd done something wrong for a moment until he continued. "How could you start without me?!"

Chara and her brother laughed as they "cleaned up" the mess they'd accidentally made. They both agreed that Toriel and Asgore didn't need to know of this event.

"We shouldn't be eating all of these ourselves," Chara declared. "We should share with Frisk. I'll take some to her."

"Okay!" He hardly looked up as he licked some lingering sprinkles off his hand.

Chara got a paper towel and scooped a fair amount of sprinkles onto it, grinning. She left Rei to clean up the little bit of mess remaining and headed upstairs to the bedrooms. She walked over to Frisk's door and lifted her hand to knock, but froze.

It was faint, but Chara could hear it. Frisk was crying. Frisk hardly ever cried, at least as far as Chara had seen.

Her worry now spiked, Chara gently grasped the knob and turned it, softly opening the door. Her heart sank and she was gripped by icy panic at the sight before her.

Frisk was curled into a little ball on the floor, clutching her hair with both hands hard enough to obviously be painful. She was shaking, though whether from emotion or from something else Chara didn't know. The most disturbing part, however, was the unsheathed pocket knife on the floor next to her. It was clean, but that didn't mean it wasn't used. Flashes of memory threatened to drown her for a moment, but Chara quickly shook them away and approached Frisk's small, quivering form, closing the door behind her. She needed to figure out what was going on so she could help her sister; this was no time to get distracted.

"Frisk?"

She didn't respond except to curl into herself more with a whimper. Frowning, Chara sat next to Frisk and placed a gentle hand on her back. Frisk flinched slightly at the unexpected touch but otherwise didn't move.

"Frisk… I'm here for you." Chara watched as Frisk briefly paused at her words, her tears slowing. She was listening. "Whatever you're dealing with, you are _not_ alone. We're here for you."

Frisk's tight grip on her hair slackened a bit, lifting Chara's spirits; she was starting to get through to the preteen already. Chara started rubbing Frisk's back, concentrating on using what little healing magic she knew to help soothe her. It caused a slight, green aura to glow around her hand, and Chara focused so she could keep it up. Frisk relaxed further in response, and soon let go of her hair and tucked her hands to her chest instead. She was still crying and trembling a bit, but this was a vast improvement already.

Chara knew from experience how harrowing depression attacks like this were, and thankfully Toriel or Asgore were always there to help her come out of it. They weren't here now, though, and Chara wondered if Frisk had had attacks like this before. She had never seen Frisk like this before now, and the thought of her dealing with this gave her a horrible feeling.

Frisk sniffled, bringing Chara out of her thoughts. She was slowly calming down, much to Chara's relief, and she was no longer shaking except for the occasional shudder from leftover emotion. Chara suddenly remembered what she'd originally come here to do, and she purposefully rustled the paper towel the little sugar sprinkles were in.

She was successful in catching Frisk's attention and curiosity, and the kid soon turned her head to look at Chara through her messy bangs. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, and Chara gave her a playful smile despite how her heart broke at the sight.

"So, Rei was decorated his cookies, and the lid to the sprinkles fell off," she explained humorously. "The whole thing spilled—and I mean, _all_ of it—all over the cookies and the counter! It was hilarious."

The edge of Frisk's mouth quirked up slightly, giving Chara more confidence.

"You know how we hate making things go to waste, though," she continued, grinning. "So we cleaned it up! By eating them, of course." She winked at Frisk, and the girl gave a short, hiccupy laugh. "We can't keep all the sugary goodness to ourselves, though, so I brought you some. Sugar always helps me feel better, so it should help you too."

Frisk sniffed and nodded, smiling a little as she sat up. Chara moved her hand to Frisk's shoulder, and held up the paper towel before handing it to her. Frisk looked at the pile of sugar crystals for a moment, blinked, and then started laughing and crying at the same time.

"I…" Frisk's voice was hoarse from crying so much and she sniffled again. "Th-thank you, Chara…"

"Hey, isn't this what I'm here for?" Chara gently squeezed Frisk in a gesture of support and smirked. "Looks like I'm not only your guardian physically, but emotionally as well, huh?" She chuckled good naturedly. "Besides, I'm more than in your debt."

Frisk wiped her face with her sleeve and started picking up and eating the sprinkles one by one with her small fingers. "For what?"

Chara's smile widened with amusement at Frisk's antics, and she teasingly ruffled her hair. "Silly! You're the first human to actually be my friend! Not only that, but you're always there for me. It's the least I could do to return the favor." Frisk giggled and batted her hand away, and Chara winked at her. "And anyways, you're too good a person to leave hanging."

Frisk's smile fell and she suddenly seemed a lot more interested in the sprinkles than before, her shoulders hunching a bit. Chara caught on immediately and put her hand back on Frisk's shoulder to hold her close.

"So, want to talk about what's bothering you?" Chara was careful to keep her tone neutral and her voice soft.

Frisk stared at the pocket knife a foot away in front of her crossed legs, her lip trembling as tears threatened to return in full force. "I-I…" Her voice wavered with emotion and she cleared her throat to try again, fisting the paper towel in her hand. She squeezed her eyes shut and ducked her head as she blurted, "I just keep messing everything up!"

The floodgates opened and Frisk sobbed, letting herself fall sideways into Chara's open arms. Chara gently took the crumpled paper towel from Frisk's hand, allowing her to cover her face as she cried. Chara set the goods on the floor so she could better hold Frisk, and she again used her weak healing magic in an effort to help soothe the weeping kid. It worked partially as Frisk relaxed a little, and she wrapped her arms around Chara and buried her head into her shoulder. Tears started to form in the teenager's own eyes and she clutched Frisk tighter.

"I-I…" Frisk's voice cracked and she hiccupped. "I c-can't do anything r-right! I d-don't belong here; I'm just a m-mistake; I-I'm just a burden t-to you all! I'm sorry! I'm s-sorry! I'm not a-a good person like y-you said! I'm sorry!"

Her hardly coherent words dissolved into sobs, and her fists clenched hard in the fabric of Chara's jacket. Frisk just wanted it to stop. She was a mess and a mistake, and she missed him. She missed him so much it seemed to physically hurt, and it wouldn't stop unless she forced it to. Nothing helped abate the pain for long and it was almost ever-present, digging into her heart like daggers. She had too much pent-up emotion, and she didn't know how to get it out. The only thing she could think of was to distract herself, whether by fun things or by giving herself a different kind of pain to focus on instead. Both worked, but neither lasted. Everything just built up until the dam broke.

"Frisk."

Chara's emotional yet firm voice broke through Frisk's thoughts, but she didn't move. She hated it when people saw her so vulnerable, and now the coolest person she knew was clearly aware of her weaknesses. She knew she shouldn't be ashamed, but she was anyway. She knew Chara would never see her the same way again, not after this.

"Frisk, look at me."

Frisk did her best to stop the tears streaming down her face and succeeded, sort of. She hiccuped again and looked up, hardly able to see Chara's compassionate expression through the blurriness. Chara tightened her grasp around Frisk and narrowed her eyes in determination.

"Frisk, you are _not_ a burden to us. You are _not_ a mistake. You are a part of our family, and we would never be the same if you left." Her gaze softened. "Frisk, you're okay. You messed up, but that's okay. You're going to mess up again and make plenty more mistakes, but _that's okay."_

Fresh tears spilled down Frisk's face, and she lowered her head again and leaned into Chara's reinforced embrace. She knew what Chara was saying was true, but it was still so difficult to _feel._ Even so, hearing Chara tell those things to her made her feel a bit better.

Chara smiled, a touch of sadness appearing in her brown eyes as she rubbed her hand along Frisk's back, still channeling healing magic through it even though it was starting to make her tired. "Frisk, our experiences are different so I can't say that I know exactly how you feel, but I _can_ say with total honesty that I've felt similarly. You remember what I told you back in the Underground, right?"

Frisk nodded, sniffling and wiping her face with her sleeve again.

"I know you're wanting whatever it is to stop, and nothing seems to be working, right?"

Another, albeit slower nod came as Frisk's hesitant answer.

"Well, I've got good news and bad news for you." Chara waited until Frisk looked back up at her before continuing. "The bad news is that these kinds of feelings _will_ come back from time to time, but the good news is that there are ways to fight them, and they won't last forever."

Frisk's brow furrowed. "H-how long?"

"That depends on you." Chara gave Frisk a smile of bittersweet encouragement. "Whatever it is that's made you sad in the first place, you need to face it."

Frisk frowned, which Chara quickly acknowledged.

"Yeah, it'll be hard." Chara held Frisk close. "But it'll be _so_ worth it, and you'll feel a lot better afterwards. I know from experience, heh. And, you have _all_ of us behind you, supporting and cheering you on. I promise you, Frisk, that you can do this."

Frisk returned to hugging Chara tight and burying her head into her shoulder, continuing to wet the already damp fabric with more tears. This time, though, they weren't tears of sorrow. A dying spark of hope returned to a bright flame inside her heart, and she felt for the first time in a while that things really would be okay. She wasn't alone. She believed Chara's words; she could do this. She was determined.

Chara was relieved beyond words. She'd been able to comfort Frisk, and it seemed that her hope had been brought back to life. She held Frisk for a bit longer as the preteen's tears slowed, and she finally let her healing magic dissipate and stifled a yawn as it tried to build up in her throat. She moved a hand away from Frisk to pick up the paper towel with sprinkles on it, and lifted it in front of her and Frisk.

"Y'know," Chara said quietly, regaining Frisk's attention, "these sprinkles aren't gonna eat themselves. You feeling up to eating some sugar now, Mirror?"

Frisk giggled at the old nickname and sat up, genuinely smiling. "Yeah! Sugar sounds good."

Together they sat on the carpet, joking back and forth while Frisk munched on the bits of colored sugar. She had a headache from all the crying and her eyes were uncomfortably dry, but she didn't care so much about that in the moment. She wasn't alone anymore, and she couldn't describe how good that felt.

When Frisk was finished with the little sweet snack, Chara suggested they go downstairs and play games with Asriel. Frisk happily agreed and led the way out of the room. She suddenly stopped and turned around, lunging towards Chara. She was surprised as Frisk gently collided with her and gave her the tightest hug she could, tears again brimming in her eyes.

"Thank you," Frisk got out, voice quivering with renewed emotion. "Thank you so much, Chara."

Chara gladly returned the embrace and blinked back her own tears. "Anytime, Frisk."

Frisk soon pulled away and ran out the door, happy as a girl her age should be. "Come on, Chara!"

"Right behind you!" Chara called after her, but turned around to face the room again.

She took a step forward and bent down, picking up the forgotten pocket knife. She stared at it, grateful that it wasn't used in the way Frisk might've plotted it to. Chara folded the blade down and opened Frisk's bedside table drawer, placing it carefully inside next to her other woodcarving tools. She closed the drawer and smiled, before teleporting and appearing directly behind Frisk at the top of the stairs.

"Ah!" Frisk squeaked, caught off-guard by her suddenly being there. She giggled. "I don't know if I'll ever get used to you doing that."

Chara grinned and ruffled Frisk's hair playfully. "I said I'd be right behind you, didn't I?"

"Hey!" Frisk batted Chara's hand away and sprinted down the stairs. "And you'll stay behind me! Race you to the kitchen—no magic!"

Chara laughed and started down after her. Love and happiness blossomed in her heart at seeing Frisk so truly happy again. They'd move forward and help her overcome whatever it was that was bothering her, no matter how long the road would be. Chara knew Frisk could do it, and she'd always be right behind the kid the whole way.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading, and let me know your thoughts in a review!**

 **I want you all to remember that you're not alone. No two people have the exact same experiences, but we're still in this together and have a lot in common. We all have our individual struggles, and one of the most important things is that we keep pushing through them and keep moving forward, one step at a time. Stay determined. 3**


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